BLINK Q&A: You Asked, Jake Answers Part 2

Blink | Jake Haendel's Story

Sony Music

True Crime

4.9 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Hannah Smith sits down with Jake Haendel to answer the questions listeners have been waiting for—what really happened behind the scenes, why the show suddenly paused, and how legal realities shaped what he could and couldn’t say at the time. Jake revisits the sperm-bank situation in greater depth, breaking down what’s known, what remains unresolved, and how returning to it has reshaped his understanding of that moment. The conversation also dives into the limits of transparency, lingering fears of running into Ellen, and what comes next for blink. Content warning: Drug use/abuse, addiction, sexual assault (SA), medical trauma, serious illness, paralysis/coma, death & dying, emotional distress, and mature content. Resources can be found on our website, blinkthepodcast.com . . . . . Created by Jake Haendel Hosted by Hannah Smith Edited by Scott Somerville Original composition by Michael Marguet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Train Dreams is now nominated for five Critics' Choice Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay,
0:08.0	and two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor Joel Edgerton.
0:12.0	I don't know where the years go.
0:13.0	It is also nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards.
0:16.0	Figured out, let me know. I'd like to ask for a few back.
0:19.0	And winner for Best Adapted Screenplay from National Board of Review.
0:23.4	New York Magazine hails it as the best picture of the year.
0:27.5	Train Dreams only on Netflix.
0:35.9	We are back with our part two of the Q&A.
0:40.3	Last time we left off with getting into this legal situation and behind the scenes.
0:47.3	Hannah, thanks for being here again.
0:50.3	Thanks so much for having me.
1:12.7	Okay, so we are going to talk about the legal situation. Before we get into that specific question, we have to talk about Ellen. You know, I have to say, there's been so much said about this podcast. There's so
1:19.7	much to love about it. One of the aspects that I think hasn't been talked about quite as much
1:25.5	is the portrayal of your relationship with
1:29.1	Ellen in the podcast. It's really well told. You know, it's complex and complicated, and you guys
1:36.4	don't shy away from that. You're really honest about some of the good things about how, for a time,
1:42.8	she was really good at taking care of you and
1:44.8	understanding your needs. You talk about your range of emotions over time, starting with
1:51.1	obsession and love and then how that really slowly starts to change as you understand what's
1:59.7	really going on and how, you know, there's these really harmful, abusive
2:05.9	patterns that are taking place. She became very controlling. You witnessed many times when she
	...

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